> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Philanthropy 50
  • Nonprofits and the Trump Agenda
  • Impact Stories Hub
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

How One Group That Serves the Homeless Is Responding to the Crisis

By  Michael Theis
March 17, 2020
Miriam’s Kitchen provides meals to the homeless everyday, but is changing their protocol in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. Instead of indoors, they now serve meals in the church courtyard.
André Chung for The Chronicle
Miriam’s Kitchen provides meals to the homeless everyday, but is changing their protocol in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. Instead of indoors, they now serve meals in the church courtyard.

Public-health experts say the key to stemming the Covid-19 pandemic is for people to stay home. But what about people who don’t have a home? Nonprofits that aid homeless people are making big changes — and taking on significant costs — to serve and protect some of the most vulnerable people in their communities.

Miriam’s Kitchen, in Washington, D.C., had to rethink operations in a very short time as the outbreak began to spread rapidly last week in the region. The escalating crisis is putting major stresses on the organization.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 571-540-8070 or cophelp@philanthropy.com

Public-health experts say the key to stemming the Covid-19 pandemic is for people to stay home. But what about people who don’t have a home? Nonprofits that aid homeless people are making big changes — and taking on significant costs — to serve and protect some of the most vulnerable people in their communities.

Miriam’s Kitchen, in Washington, D.C., had to rethink operations in a very short time as the outbreak began to spread rapidly last week in the region. The escalating crisis is putting major stresses on the organization.

The group provides meals and other services from the basement of a church. Its flagship programs are its breakfast and dinner meal programs, designed to feed people with dignity.

In less than a week, the group canceled its volunteer program and shifted from providing cooked meals in the church’s multipurpose room to distributing prepackaged meals in the church courtyard and telling clients to disperse before eating.

“It has been a rapidly evolving situation rolling across this week,” said Scott Schenkelberg, the CEO. “We only really started planning in earnest for operational changes Monday of last week, and it really kicked into high gear on Wednesday, when our leadership team met to go through contingency planning and made some critical decisions about volunteer operations.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The group created a “virus-response team,” gave all of its full-time staff two weeks of additional paid time off, and implemented telework-friendly policies for those who could do it.

Older Volunteers

Miriam’s Kitchen relies heavily on volunteers. In any given year, about 1,800 people pitch in. They supplement the work of the $6 million organization’s 55 full-time staff members.

But half of the volunteers only serve once, Schenkelberg estimated. There’s a core group of about 100 who form the backbone of the organization’s meal services. On any given day, about 25 volunteers prepare meals from scratch using fresh ingredients.

Schenkelberg said many volunteers are older and thus at higher risk for coronavirus.

“That was one of our considerations when we decided we were going to cease volunteer operations,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Moving services from the basement to the church courtyard to implement social distancing meant it needed a temporary restroom became clear quickly. That restroom, which also includes a hand-washing station, was being installed on Friday. Officials at the nonprofit also set up large tents to provide others services, like case management. Schenkelberg lamented that without volunteer help, meals are lower quality, with a focus on dishes that are easy to prepare.

“Our hope is we’ll not have to be doing this for more than a month,” he said. “If we are trending towards normalcy at that point — and who knows — I would hope to restore volunteer services.”

Increased Costs

The pandemic demonstrates the need for nonprofits to develop disaster plans, Schenkelberg said.

However, he emphasized that it’s so early in the crisis, it’s hard to see the end of it.

“We do our business in the nation’s capital. If it’s not a virus, it could be any number of things, like another 9/11,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The early days of the crisis have proven to be expensive for Miriam’s Kitchen.

“We are spending more money now due to these program changes than we budgeted for. This is well above our ‘run rate,’ " said Schenkelberg, who worries about the impact of the crisis on the economy. “Longer term, we worry about our overall revenue. People may not be in a place soon where they are necessarily thinking about making charitable donations.”

Over the past week, officials at Miriam’s Kitchen spent a lot of time contacting the group’s major institutional and individual donors. The message is simple: This pandemic could be an existential crisis for the organization. Early on, some donors were surprised to hear the pandemic was having an impact, though he said that could have been a function of when they were contacted. As the week wore on, the urgency became more apparent to donors.

“One institutional funder said, ‘I didn’t even know that was a problem.’ He hadn’t even thought about it,” Schenkelberg said, describing an early call. “And then there’s the other extreme, where there’s a small group of institutional funders that are already starting to talk about this collectively.”

Read other items in this Covid-19 Coverage: Innovation and How-To Advice package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Advocacy
Michael Theis
Michael Theis writes about data and accountability for the Chronicle, conducting surveys and reporting on fundraising, giving, salaries, taxes, and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
  • Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
    Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin